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Article published In:
English Text Construction
Vol. 13:2 (2020) ► pp.158–177

Conflict-motivated acts in the open letters of two former Nigerian presidents

| Redeemer’s University
| Redeemer’s University

This study investigates conflict-motivated pragmatic acts employed in the open letters exchanged by two former Nigerian presidents (Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan). The data are analysed using Mey’s pragmatic act theory. The findings reveal that while Obasanjo employs pragmatic acts of warning, appealing, and praising in order to counsel Jonathan, Jonathan employs pragmatic acts of acknowledging, boasting, correcting, and reminding in order to defend himself. However, they both employ the pragmatic acts of insulting, complaining, accusing, and requesting. These acts are influenced by nationalist and anti-ethnic ideologies as well as the context of the open letters, i.e., conflict among political leaders in Nigeria.

Keywords: acts, context, ideology, political letters, pragmatic acts, Nigeria
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background of Obasanjo and Jonathan’s open letter exchange
  • 3.Theoretical framework
  • 4.Data and methods
  • 5.Analysis and discussion
    • 5.1Pragmatic acts used by Obasanjo
      • 5.1.1Warning
      • 5.1.2Appealing
      • 5.1.3Praising
    • 5.2Pragmatic acts used by Jonathan
      • 5.2.1Acknowledging
      • 5.2.2Boasting
      • 5.1.3Correcting
      • 5.2.4Reminding
    • 5.3Pragmatic acts employed by Obasanjo and Jonathan
      • 5.3.1Insulting
      • 5.3.2Complaining
      • 5.3.2Accusing
      • 5.3.3Requesting
  • 6.Discussion and conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 10 December 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/etc.00039.unu
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